Needwood. Oh happy days. Lets go down to the woods



Yoxall Lodge, Newchurch
“We opened a week ago,” says Sue Featherstone, of Yoxall Lodge, “but the bluebells haven’t quite peaked yet. They’ll be at their best sometime this coming week.” Yoxall Lodge is a working farm, but each spring Featherstone opens up two of her woods and the surrounding parkland to bluebell lovers, and has laid out five walks. They close on May 17.
The longest is 2½ miles, the shortest just half a mile, but all take in Lodge Hill Wood, a relic of ancient Needwood Forest. The bluebells have had centuries to take hold here, and spread a thick blanket of blue beneath the mixed oak, ash and beech.